As a world-class comprehensive university with research activities spanning all major disciplines, the University of Hong Kong realises the vital importance of research integrity. All members of the University must observe the highest standards of professional conduct and must comply with the following principles of research integrityin pursuing their research activities:
Should I be the “whistleblower”?
In real life it is not easy for research misconduct to come to light. This is because details of how research is conducted are often known only to the people who work on it. And
“Excellence and integrity are inextricably linked.”
One of the most important instrumental values of maintaining research integrity is to produce excellent research. Giving proper credit encourages capable researchers to make the best of their potential. Following strict data handling procedures enhances
Does protecting human participants privacy open a backdoor to research misconduct?
Karen, a psychology student, conducted a research project that involved the interview of a number of human participants. In compliance with the university rules on protection of human subjects in research, she assured the subjects
How should researchers procure goods and services?
Prof. Mark Israel (Australasian Human Research Ethics Consultancy Services) has kindly given permission for this hypothetical case study to be reproduced. Simon has been awarded a grant by the UGC. The research will require him
Should I be the “whistleblower”?
In real life it is not easy for research misconduct to come to light. This is because details of how research is conducted are often known only to the people who work on it. And
Should you accept a funding opportunity limited by conditions imposed by the sponsor?
Professor Peter Miller and others apply the PERIL analysis to determine if a funding opportunity which is accompanied by conditions should be accepted. Case study: PERIL analysis of a funding opportunity limited by conditions imposed
How should researchers procure goods and services?
Prof. Mark Israel (Australasian Human Research Ethics Consultancy Services) has kindly given permission for this hypothetical case study to be reproduced. Simon has been awarded a grant by the UGC. The research will require him
Should you accept conference honoraria/travel funding from a sponsor?
Professor Peter Miller (School of Psychology, Deakin University) and others argue in an article that researchers should be aware that their objectivity might be compromised if they accept honoraria and travel funds from a sponsor
How to decide whether to accept sponsorship funding: PERIL analysis
In an article published in 2007, Peter Adams proposed a decision-making framework known as 'PERIL'. Peter Miller summarises Adams' PERIL framework as follows: Purpose refers to the degree to which purposes are divergent between funder
Deans of seven local medical and healthcare schools issue joint statement to decline research funding from tobacco industry
The deans of seven UGC-funded faculties of medicine, Chinese medicine, health and social sciences, and sister schools in the self-financed sector jointly issued a statement to announce that they will not be accepting funding from
No tobacco industry funding of education and research activities in Hong Kong tertiary institutions (in relation to Research Integrity)
HUCOM (Heads of Universities Committee) took a decision back in 2002 that tertiary institutions would not accept tobacco industry funding of education and research activities. Staff have been advised accordingly since then. Source: HKU Research
Dimensions of culturally sensitive research
In an increasingly internationalised academic environment, it is common that you may encounter subjects of another cultural background. Research ethics call for a culturally sensitive approach to this kind of research, because shared context can
Social media research: does it constitute human subjects research?
For research involving human subjects, issues of privacy, confidentiality and consent will more readily arise and researchers will need to comply with the relevant regulations. Thus to tell whether a project constitutes human subjects research
Ethical issues around social media research
It is widely recognised that research involving human subjects should be given extra care. However the line seems muddled when it comes to research on social media posts. On the one hand, the posts are
How to ensure safety in sensitive research?
Sensitive research refers to those the discussion of which tends to generate an emotional response, such as traumatic experience or death or sex. To ensure safety, both in the physical and psychological sense, for all
“Excellence and integrity are inextricably linked.”
One of the most important instrumental values of maintaining research integrity is to produce excellent research. Giving proper credit encourages capable researchers to make the best of their potential. Following strict data handling procedures enhances
HKU Policy on Research Integrity: Plagiarism
Section 3.1 ('Plagiarism and self-plagiarism') of the HKU Policy on Research Integrity contains the following: Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work (including but not limited to any materials, creations, ideas and data) as
Do the same plagiarism rules apply when courts copy a party’s submissions in the judgment?
In Cojocaru v British Columbia Women’s Hospital and Health Centre [2013] 2 S.C.R. 357, the trial judge's decision copied significant parts of the Plaintiffs' submissions (although he did not accept all of their submissions). The
The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity: Plagiarism
The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (jointly published by the European Science Foundation and ALL European Academies (ALLEA)), and to which the HKU Policy on Research Integrity makes reference in Section 2) defines
How do you agree on authorship with fellow researchers?
Prof. Mark Israel (Australasian Human Research Ethics Consultancy Services) has kindly given permission for this hypothetical case study to be reproduced. You have been invited to join a multinational, multidisciplinary U21 collaborative team looking at
Seminar on Research Ethics by Lisa Webley (28 Feb 2017)
Please see the two PowerPoint slides below on the sessions on research ethics by Professor Lisa Webley. Harnessing the Research Ethics Process to Develop Rigorous, Original Research in Law Postgraduate Research Studies in Law:
Dialogue on Research Integrity by Zoë Hammatt
The following shows the printed materials in the lunchtime session Dialogue on Research Integrity by Ms Zoë Hammatt, a licensed attorney and a professional consultant on research integrity. This lunchtime session seeks to build upon
Useful resource: Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)
CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) is an online research integrity and ethics training resource available to HKU staff and research postgraduate students (RPGs). Six courses are available to HKU staff and RPGs: Responsible Conduct of Research
Useful resource: Association for Research Ethics (AfRE) ‘Case of the Month’
The Association for Research Ethics (AfRE) publishes a 'Case of the Month' on its website (http://arec.org.uk/policy-and-guidance/ask-the-chair/). This may be a useful resource for legal researchers seeking guidance on the ethical issues to take into account.
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All researchers of the University must be committed to the principle of honesty in conducting research and in communicating research findings to the research community and the public. Honesty is required in presenting research goals and intentions, and in reporting procedures and findings. Such presentation and reporting must be full and fair. Objectivity of research requires maintenance of accuracy in the collection and reporting of data. Conclusions must be based on verifiable facts, and researchers should be impartial and be as transparent as possible (notwithstanding mindful of the secrecy requirement in filing of patents and know-hows) in the handling of data. Research findings should be made accessible to the research community for verification. All researchers have a duty of care to the human research participants, the animals, and the environment under study. They must be fair in giving credit for the work of other researchers who participate in the research. They have a responsibility in supervising and nurturing research students and early-career researchers, who will be researchers of the next generation. Positions of seniority or responsibility should never be abused so as to put pressure on colleagues or research students, for example, to forgo their right to proper acknowledgement of their contribution to the research or publication in question, or to add persons who have not significantly and/or substantially contributed to the research onto the authorship list.
In pursuing their research activities, members of the University should adhere to good research practices; should not engage in research misconduct such as plagiarism, fabrication, falsification or unauthorised use of data, improper ascription of authorship, non-disclosure of potential conflict of interestetc. (see Section 3 below). Relevant ethical approval must be obtained before the commencement of data collection. Misconduct or alleged misconduct in research will be dealt with in accordance with the Procedures for Dealing with Alleged Staff Misconduct in Research.